California State Teachers Retirement System Acquires 5,179,897 Shares of Sensient Technologies Corporation $SXT

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System dramatically increased its Sensient Technologies stake by acquiring 5.18 million shares in the second quarter, bringing its total ownership to 5.22 million shares, or approximately 12.27% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Sensient receiving an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $140. UBS and Robert W. Baird recently raised their price targets to $155 and $140, respectively.
• Sensient reported quarterly EPS of $1.20, beating estimates of $1.03, while revenue rose 11.6% year over year to $462.08 million. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.41 per share, yielding about 1.3% annually.

California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Sensient Technologies Corporation (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) by 11,832.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,223,674 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,179,897 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 12.27% of Sensient Technologies worth $644,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SXT. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sensient Technologies in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Sensient Technologies by 31.7% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 594 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Sensient Technologies by 35.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 938 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. 90.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on SXT shares. Weiss Ratings raised Sensient Technologies from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Sensient Technologies from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of Sensient Technologies in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Sensient Technologies from $143.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sensient Technologies

In related news, Director Mario Ferruzzi sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.48, for a total value of $155,376.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $951,936.96. This represents a 14.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sensient Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SXT opened at $126.29 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $126.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 34.04 and a beta of 0.80. Sensient Technologies Corporation has a twelve month low of $82.60 and a twelve month high of $138.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $462.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $448.84 million. Sensient Technologies had a return on equity of 13.77% and a net margin of 9.27%.Sensient Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. Sensient Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.100-4.200 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Sensient Technologies Corporation will post 4.2 EPS for the current year.

Sensient Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd were paid a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.20%.

Sensient Technologies Company Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation NYSE: SXT develops and manufactures colors, flavors, fragrances, and other specialty ingredients used by food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, and industrial customers. Its products are designed to improve the taste, appearance, aroma, and performance of consumer and commercial goods.

The company's principal offerings include natural and synthetic food and beverage colors, flavor systems and extracts, botanical ingredients, pharmaceutical colors, and colors and fragrances for cosmetics, personal care products, and other applications.

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